Contradiction
by randomidentity
Summary: Katharina Malfoy, child of Draco and Ginny Malfoy, leads the new generation of witches and wizard with her beauty, talent and wit. She must keep her exemplary marks, win quiditch games, deal with hot, mysterious strangers, and remain Slytherin Princess.
1. Chap 1

"Do tell me, what is it like being the only Weasley in the great house of Salazar Slytherin?" The interviewer pressed, trying Katharina's patience. In _her_ opinion, this question was totally uncalled for and out of the blue. They were in a dignified institution of wizarding education, not a talk show.

'Kathy' was seated stiffly on an otherwise plushy leather couch, in the cool Slytherin common room. Other than the two of them, no one else lingered- the students were all in other classes and the fire was gone with them. This brought her to the question that kept repeating itself within her subconscious; _what the on earth am I doing here?_

"I'm not a Weasley." She insisted, knowing very well how her gloriously crimson locks betrayed her.

"Not in name, perhaps, but I understand that Ginerva Weasley-Malfoy is your mother, is she not?"

Kathy wondered whether Rita Skeeter had ever had any children, because this irritating woman was begging to be adopted. What was her name again, Flora Temple? It seemed the only difference between her and Rita was that Flora manually wrote down what her interviewee said in a large notebook. But then, this was only because magical quills were banned years ago.

"She is."

"Then you are capable of answering the question, are you not?"

The fifteen-year-old sighed, crossing her legs and angling them to the side like the lady that she was. Oh, how Narcissa would be proud. "I am."

"Could you please do it in this century?" Mrs. Temple almost snapped impatiently, following the slight shift in the girl's especially tailored white dress.

The girl had been perfectly dressed for the interview, even donning a short, curve-hugging black vest to add a formal touch to the feminine frock and to emphasize her slender waist. She had been, no doubt, expecting to graciously pose for a requested photograph and that she did. _Smart casual, _Flora reflected wryly- _but the Malfoy brat was much more _smart _than casual, actually._

Kathy was not shaken by the hasty question; she actually smirked at this sign of discomfiture and idly twirled a lock of her hair before responding, so as to irritate the witch further. When she did answer, there was a warning glint in her gray eyes. "I expect no twisting of my words in the publication."

Flora nodded, suddenly intimidated by the beautiful heiress.

Kathy pursed her lips in thought, and when her words formed, they were released in a slow, intelligent drawl. "It came as a shock, as I'm sure you'd understand. My brother had been sorted into Gryffindor during the previous year. I fully expected that he would be in Slytherin and that I would be in Gryffindor. After all, his looks are all Malfoy just as mine are all Weasley."

"And how does that reflect on your personalities?" Flora seemed to state it in a taunting manner.

Kathy, however, did not bat an eyelash. "I simply have more of my father- more Malfoy. Alex has more of mom- more Weasley."

"I see." Temple muttered, disappointed at the perfectly crafted answer. She thought she had cornered the young Malfoy into a reply that was wholly unbecoming or perhaps insulting to the Gryffindor traits. She did not pursue the matter any further. "How does it feel to be the most popular or, shall we say, most sought-after Slytherin princess despite this drawback?"

Kathy raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, only a thread of control kept her from laughing. "Slytherin princess? I think not. I fit in easily enough, perhaps because they acknowledge that there's more Malfoy in me than Weasley."

"So your peers wouldn't have liked you if you were more Weasley?" Flora pounced on the possible intrigue the answer could cause.

The young Malfoy's manners hindered her from rolling her eyes. "It would be hard to relate to the rest of them as the Weasley countenance is more suited for Gryffindor."

"Any boyfriends your parents should worry about?" Flora digressed, disappointed yet again at the second dead end.

A wan smile brightened Kathy's physiognomy ever so slightly. "What is this about, Mrs. Temple? Have I done something particularly outrageous this year? You could have asked these questions the day after I was sorted and received the same answers."

The woman put down her quill to give a spiteful glare. "That may be true, but this year your rise to power has reached a turning point. In case you haven't noticed, every breathing male want to have you and every breathing female wants to _be _you. So answer the question, Malfoy- any love affairs lately?"

Kathy's nose rose higher as she regarded the older woman's impertinent tones. "None that I'd like you to know of, Mrs. Temple."

Flora scowled at this and scribbled harder into the notebook. "How about best friends, do you have ones from Gryffindor as well?"

"Winona and Aiden Chaisty in Slytherin, all my cousins in Gryffindor are my best friends, of course." Kathy supplied promptly, hoping to patch things up immediately.

"Winona and Aiden, the twins?" Mrs. Temple asked condescendingly.

"Yes, Mrs. Temple. You don't like them?" Katharina inquired, feigning surprise. They had a reputation, she knew, of being somewhat… promiscuous. But that didn't mean that they made horrific friends. In fact, they had proved to be quite the opposite and she didn't like how people like Flora were so judgmental.

"Surely you know of their… habits."

"No, I surely don't. Next question please."

* * *

The great hall seemed more welcoming, Kathy thought, as she walked into the large room right after the interview. The bad mood she got from missing half a transfiguration class- her favorite of all the classes- disappeared as majority of the populace turned their heads to glance in her direction.

She aimed a dazzling smile in their general direction before surreptitiously glancing for the blondest heads in the whole room. She saw one and met Aiden Chaisty's eyes. He was, as usual, surrounded by adoring females, most of whom were less beautiful creatures than he. It wasn't that he was gay-quite the opposite, in fact- it was more of the fact that he divided his time between his friends (males and females alike) and his… affairs (strictly females only).

Today though, the renowned Slytherin sex-god murmured his excuse and walked up to Kathy to offer his arm at the door.

"Another hundred marriage proposals, I suppose." Kathy teased good-naturedly, taking the arm gratefully. She searched his brilliant hazel eyes for the cause of his sullen mood- even his stride was measured and tense.

"I got kicked off the team." By the team, he meant the Slytherin Quiditch Team and Katharina was shaken by this. It was probably the greatest misfortune to ever befall an individual.

"_What_? How-" But she was cut off brusquely.

"…accused of sleeping with the captain's girlfriend…" He offered bluntly.

She didn't bat an eyelash at the explanation. Kathy shook her head in indignation, not at her friend but at his offender. "How dare he? You're the best beater there is!"

"I believe that appellation belongs to you." He amended wryly, but she ignored him.

"How in Merlin's name does he expect me to go on without my partner?" They had reached the front end of the table by now, passing Aiden's legions of enamored girls who were aiming jealous glares in her direction. This was where the eminent members of the school sat; it was an indicator of their status. Here were the members of the quiditch team, the wealthy, the famous, and the gorgeous- Kathy was all of these and Aiden too until today. The geeky, gross, misunderstood angst-collectors sat at the opposite end.

Aiden took one look at where his sister Winona sat- next to the detested Captain Rod Loxley- and groaned. Kathy gazed at him questioningly.

"She's taking advantage of his newly-single status, completely unknowing of how it happened." Aiden explained darkly. He and his sister were exactly alike in this manner, and they didn't mind as long as there was no "sleeping with the enemy" as it was in this case. There was no doubt in Kathy's mind that he would inform his sister about the situation.

"Come on." Kathy steered him away from there to sit at the opposite end. He stared at her in horror. "You don't need this right now."

Fortunately, there was only one misfit at the other end; Derik Zabini. He usually minded his own business, though, and today a book covered his brooding features. He was a mystery. Once upon a time he was the most charismatic and sought-after personality in the whole school, and now… Now he wasn't worth a second thought.

"Did you really do it- I mean, _her_?" Kathy asked, rather candidly. This was normal between the closest of friends, whispering among themselves as they disregarded luncheon to ponder over a dilemma.

Aiden groaned and raked a hand through his platinum blond locks. "She just looked so ravishing in her little black dress the other night, and to be frank, she was more than willing to oblige."

"Aiden…" She started admonishingly. "… Rod himself would be willing! _You_ need to control yourself or you'll have no friends left!"

"Lies, all of it; except the part about Loxley." He replied, earning a chuckle from Kathy. "I can't seem to get _you_ to be willing, and _you_ will always be my best friend."

His 'friend' rolled her eyes. "That's different. I'm your partner and I'm practically your sister."

"I _wish _you were my sister instead of that slattern over there."

The young Malfoy furtively glanced in Winona's direction. Her blonde head tipped back to laugh at something Loxley said and suddenly Kathy felt nauseated. _Oh, Winnie, if only you knew…_

"Don't say that… She has no idea that Loxley is a jealous bastard who can't keep his only girlfriend _satisfied_." Kathy declared heatedly.

"You know, I like you. Why haven't I seduced you yet?" Aiden teased, regaining most of his spirit with the help of his favorite girl.

"You can't handle me, darling. I'd chew you up and spit you out with my eyes closed." Katharina said peremptorily.

"Probably." He agreed placidly, then… "How in heavens name…?"

Mr. Chaisty stalked off in the direction of his sister. Kathy saw the said female leave the place with Loxley's arm about her shoulders.

Just like that, Katharina Malfoy was left by her own lonesome self at the 'far' end of the table. _How disgraceful!_ Sighing, she rested her head in her right palm. Typically, she wouldn't be caught observing a single other living thing. No, Katharina was above such pastimes. It was _she_ who was observed. Notwithstanding, she found her perspicacity simply delightful, and today her tired eyes needed supplication.

Reflecting on her father's description of how Slytherin once was, she realized that there seemed to be no difference. Status was still blatantly evinced, the parties in the lavishly decorated common room were still the best in the whole wizarding world, and the cut-throat competition for the quiditch team and superiority in general was evident. Slytherins could do anything and anyone they wanted, most of the time without facing the consequences. They were delectably sly and witty that way.

Her mother's description of Hogwarts was a different thing altogether. She snuck an inquisitive glance at the Gryffindor table where noisy first years elicited smiles from their predecessors. There was no competition to speak of. School life consisted of only good friends spending bonding time by the Gryffindor fireplace, exuberance after making the quiditch team after fair tryouts, the excitement of attending the Yule Ball… how droll, or was it? Her brother was happy enough in it with the rest of the Weasley boys and girls.

Katharina wondered whether life would've been less complicated had she opted to join the brave-hearted Gryffindors. After all, it wasn't the house that chose the student; it was the student that chose the house. The sorting hat is, and will always be, just a formality. Deep within herself, Kathy had _dreamed _of becoming a Slytherin. She desired the attention and exclusivity it brought. She was a true-blooded Malfoy where her brother wasn't one at all.

A deep, throaty laugh broke her intense chain of thoughts. Her wary silver eyes appraised the culprit.

"That book must amuse you, Mr. Zabini, even if you're not looking at it." Derik, she noted loathingly, was staring at _her _quizzically. She abhorred the sight of his bright blue eyes and their long lashes more than anything at that moment. Was he wondering why she was sitting were she was? He probably hadn't listened in on her previous conversation, and why should he? It was none of his business.

"It doesn't." The book lay closed where his lunch plate should've been. "Your friend does."

"Aiden?" She inquired, raising a haughty crimson eyebrow. She inwardly debated whether or not she should entertain this _nobody_.

"…particularly how he picked his captain's girlfriend to sleep with and then act like a wounded sheep when he gets kicked off the team." He replied imperiously.

_What impertinence! _"What do you know?" She accused, crossing her arms snootily.

"Ms. Malfoy, I believe the expedient question would be, 'what do _you_ know'?" He corrected arrogantly, picking up his book to disappear once again into its pages.

So what if she wasn't promiscuous? Was that what he meant? Well, one didn't have to be… not really, not for someone of her caliber.

The loner wasn't diffident, Kathy realized. It was his disagreeable disposition that made his status. It couldn't be… his formidable comebacks were actually desirable in a Slytherin. He was simply indiscriminate on whom he used them on and that must've been the cause of his downfall.

Wanting to alarm him, she said, "I do believe you're late for potions, _Zabini._" She uttered his last name like it was a deadly disease.

"Why would you say that, _Malfoy?"_ He returned in the same disdainful tones, causing her to turn a bright shade of red. "Whatever are you blushing for?"

Kathy placed a hand to her cheek and found that she was, indeed, blushing. Compunction filled her lungs and nearly suffocated her. Until now, she had never exhibited that blasted Weasley trait. Her cheeks were always just pale, or slightly tanned, but never filled with this blasted color. Regaining her wily countenance, she chose to ignore his latest statement.

"We are in the same year, are we not? Even if you happen to be a year older…" _Strange how that occurred,_ Kathy thought to herself. He had been _the_ guy to be during his first four years of Hogwarts. Then he and his family mysteriously disappeared- out of the country, they said- to skip his fifth year. He chose to take it on this year instead.

"Yes." He murmured emotionlessly.

The blush darkened further beyond her control. "So?"

"I don't need to take it."

She snorted. "And I'm a troll. Have a horrendous day for me, will you, Zabini?"

"I shall try my very best, Malfoy, although seeing your face should've done that for me ages ago." He claimed impudently.

"And seeing yours should've killed me!"

"How unfortunate!" He mimicked but was smirking at her in the most infuriating way. He was enjoying this!

Katharina turned on her heel to exit the hall in a dash. How unfortunate indeed that the insufferable brat was a _Zabini_. Blaise Zabini and Luna Zabini, the mediocrity's parents, were her own mother and father's very best friends. From the many visits Kathy could tell that the former is a charming, humorous, influencial, _wealthy_ Slytherin man so unlike his son in character. Luna is a whimsical personality agreeable in every sense as well. How they were able to produce a devil's spawn, Katharina did not know.

Well, it wasn't very often (and over a year ago) that Kathy got to see the daughter Tamara Zabini and she _never _got to see Derik.

"Ms. Malfoy, an explanation for your tardiness would be wonderful." Professor Severus Snape drawled.

"I-" Kathy glanced at the Slytherins for support. Just a simple excuse would've appeased the ancient Potion's Master, but she couldn't say she was with…

"The fault is mine, professor. I importuned her with my musings." A voice came from behind her. Gasps echoed across the room.

"Mr. Zabini, what brings you to my class?" Snape asked, and Kathy panicked at the surprise in his tone. Had the Zabini been telling the truth? She saw the answer the students' eyes. This must've been his way of rubbing it in, getting the better of her.

She looked behind her a few inches to see Derik targeting a smug look in her direction. She was, more than anything, intimidated by his height. The sixteen-year-old must be about 5'11". Her admirable 5'8" seemed tiny in comparison.

"I find boredom to be a bothersome companion, professior. I believe potions may alleviate it." Derik supplied, walking passed Snape and Kathy to find an unoccupied seat at the back of the classroom.

Kathy wordlessly did the same, only to find her usual seat next to Winona in front, relieved to have escaped Snape's probing. The class began and she was permitted- as all Slytherins were- to speak with her friend.

"Did Aiden tell you?" Kathy inquired emotionlessly, drained from her earlier encounter.

"About his fatal mistake with Loxley's whore? Yes." She sighed remorsefully. "That gives me one less tall, dark, handsome, non-single man to choose from."

"Oh, Winnie." Kathy exclaimed, watching the grimace form on her friend's pretty face at the hated nickname only she could get away with. "There are a lot more where _he _came from."

"You seem to be going in that direction. What's with you and tall, dark, and handsome Derik Zabini?" Winona demanded, peculiarly awed.

"Ugh. I _know_ he's like one of the lowest of the _low._" Kathy groaned. _Was he really good-looking, though? _

"That doesn't mean he's not…" The next word was a whisper. "_…hot. _He's great for a secret love affair."

"Er… no thank you." Kathy murmured. She couldn't even spare the 'hot' male a single glance for fear of his demeaning stare. "I just can't believe he doesn't have to attend potions."

"Of course not! He _always _gets an 'O' no matter what he does. He always gets an Outstanding in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts that's why he never attends either of those." Winona said matter-of-factly. "Of course, the rest of his marks are shit but that's not why his status is what it is today."

"What else do you know?" Kathy asked eagerly, in spite of herself.

"You know how he was so popular before he skipped one year and came back to become a total outcast?" Kathy nodded. "Apparently, there's an amazing story behind it."

"What do you mean?"

"Some say he underwent a corruption of some kind… They say he has a scar somewhere on his back that he keeps covered no matter what and that he has serious behavioral problems. His friends- all of high standing- started fearing him for some reason. Doesn't it just make you want to know _more_?" Winona exclaimed. A bunch of Hufflepuffs shushed her. She responded with a raised middle finger to effectively shut them up. She looked back at Kathy to find that her friend had visibly paled.

"Oh Merlin… I've been offending a reprobate!" Kathy whispered, alarmed.

"Only if the rumors are true..." Winona whispered back reassuringly. "And even then… he wouldn't dare… this is Hogwarts! Headmistress Potter is your close family friend!"

"Yes, she is." Kathy said in relief, thinking how close she was not only to Hermione Potter but to her husband Professor Harry Potter and to her daughter Lily as well. They wouldn't permit anything bad from happening to her. "You know, it's also possible that they just discovered what a complete and utter git he was when he came back."

"Yeah… It mustn't be true then, Kathy." Winona replied, waving a hand about dismissively. "But I really want to see that sexy scar-"

This time it was Kathy herself who shushed her blonde friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Please review and indicate whether I should continue or abandon.**

* * *

"Ah… Ms. Malfoy. Come on in! I was just attending to Ms. Zabini here." Professor Slater called, just noticing how Katharina hovered at the door of the private study within the transfiguration classroom.

It would've been a spacious room had it not been bombarded with huge bookcases. Kevin Slater was a peculiar old man, without a family or a permanent home; he preferred the company of his books and the demands of teaching what he called the 'art' of transfiguration. Still, he was very much a socialite, wanting to know as much as he could about the lives of his students.

Not knowing that she was being observed, his favorite student's head turned at the title he provided. Kathy contributed a supercilious glance for a person she hadn't seen in a long time- Tamara Zabini was seated in one of the chairs in front of the table the professor was sitting behind.

The faint traces of sunshine from the room's only window behind the professor exaggerated the light tones of Tamara's needle-straight hair, making them appear almost white. The rest of her was just as pale, from the paper-like glow of her forehead, to her pale blue eyes, to the toes peeking from her stunning black peep-toe heels. The said shoes were perhaps the only notable part of her attire, and Kathy conjectured that they weren't hers but her mother's. The rest of her chosen apparel was a sickly gray. Was the lifeless hue indicative of her being Slytherin like her impudent brother or simply of her countenance?

Although Kathy's inspection was discreet, it coaxed a raised eyebrow from the previously emotionless features of Tamara Zabini.

"Forgive the intrusion, Professor…" Kathy said, finally addressing the tall, aged professor who was eyeing her unexpected reaction quizzically. "…but I'd like to know why the both of you are here despite it being a lovely Saturday morning."

"Er, she'd rather not say, I'm afraid." Slater replied, with an unsteadiness that was unusual for him. "Instead, what can I do for _you_ dear?"

"I was just returning a book of yours, the one about the transformations." Tamara snorted at this and a wry smile appeared on Kevin Slater's lips, irking Kathy further. Kevin usually told her everything, yet this time he preferred to shroud her in infuriating mystery.

"_Do_ tell her professor. She looks like she's about to explode, don't you think?" Tamara inquired airily, startling the two with her willingness to be open. "Train her as well, if you must. I gather that she's good at it if she's interested enough to read one of those horrid books. It would be like having a spare… just in case."

"Yes, it would, wouldn't it?" The professor replied, almost to himself alone. "Well, sit down then Kathy."

Katharina obliged eagerly enough, taking the seat opposite Tamara. "What is this about?"

"It involves extensive amounts of training and transfiguration talent. You will have to sacrifice months of your time to accomplish-"

"I'm going to become an animagus, and now you are _too_." Tamara said bluntly, causing Slater to sigh in annoyance at the interruption. Kathy, however, found that she was grateful for the cause to halt the professor- he did have a tendency to go on and on and on…

"Is that even permitted?" Kathy asked, her pride the only thing keeping her jaw from dropping.

"Oh, it's a necessity in her case." The otherwise jolly old man claimed tiredly.

"What? How? I mean-" Kathy struggled to find coherent words from the concepts jumbled up in her conscious. It was all coming at her too quickly.

"Let's save the questions for later, shall we? I'll leave you two to get the book on this." Slater stated, getting up. When he reached the door he addressed Tamara, "You're fortunate to have Katharina on the team, Ms. Zabini, she's quite the prodigy."

With that, the door closed with a tiny squeak, leaving the two to themselves. In spite of her deep curiosity, Kathy couldn't find the will to ask the enigma before her- did this have to do with her petty delinquent of a brother? What was behind all this mystery? Was it possible for the school to permit an animagus, even considering it necessary?

Looking up, Kathy saw that it had been her turn to be scrutinized, and she cleared her throat. She was completely out of place with the girl. "Are you Slytherin? I don't see you around."

"I _am_ a member of the House of Slytherin, yes, and you don't see me because I don't _want_ to be seen." Her bright blue eyes- eerily similar to her brother's- became clouded. "In case you didn't know, I was gone for a year with my family and when I came back just recently I realized that fading into the background is loads more advantageous."

"Oh?" Kathy was mystified. Her companion certainly had some strange but fascinating ideas about anonymity.

Tamara nodded. "You disagree, I'm sure; you with your propensity towards social climbing. Where I completely fade into the background you shine like the sun. We're contradictions like that- me a teenager not wanting to _disappear _rather than blend in and you believing that you're extraordinary despite your being truly unremarkable."

"Excuse me?" Kathy exclaimed, aware that she had been insulted.

"You are a renowned beauty to a vast a majority, but what is beauty really? Beautiful is what we were brought up to believe is beautiful, _nothing more and nothing less_. Therefore nothing is beautiful at all, we're all shades of the same color, one truly as unremarkable as the next. In fact, if you were born a century earlier, you would've been considered hideous."

"You're implying that I'm nothing more than my face and that I actually have no face at all." Kathy said in a carefully neutral tone. Beneath the surface, however, she was seething.

"You have yet to prove that you have talents that run deeper than what you have inherited and what you have been taught. So that inevitably adds your glorious quiditch playing, your knack for transfiguration and charms, your impeccable manners, grace, and your dazzling fashion sense to your so-called 'beauty' in the 'skin-deep' category."

Kathy, by now, realized how many times her overall character had been analyzed and affronted in over a span of a week. _When will it stop?_ "Do you honestly believe you're any better?"

"I don't. That's exactly why I chose to fade in the background." Tamara answered in a voice that said 'I've given this explanation too many times'.

"That isn't any way to live." Katharina chastised.

Tamara shrugged. "I believe that is a personal stand, Malfoy."

"Yes, yes it is." Kathy said, relishing in how she startled the Zabini with the ease of her reply. "I'm just sorry about _your_ personal stand, Zabini, _nothing more and nothing less_."

Tamara fell silent and Kathy felt compelled to add, "You know, despite your outrageous notions, you are a million times less horrifying than your brother."

Tamara smirked at that. "You have no idea."

Before Kathy could make her elaborate on this suggestive statement, approaching footsteps became audible.

"It seems you two get along well enough, even better than I expected, perhaps." The two students turned their heads to see their professor smiling mischievously by the door.

"Certainly, professor, and by the end of this we shall be the best of friends." Tamara exclaimed brightly.

Kathy searched for any kind of sarcasm but was astonished to find none whatsoever. What a strange creature!

"Excellent. I'm sorry to bust your bubble this early- I'm afraid I'll have to start with long lectures on the subject, such is the standard protocol." Long fingers combed through silver-streaked hair before opening flipping the contents of the book to the appropriate page. "It all started in the 17th century, when Frederich Fault found a way to embody transfiguration…"

Katharina and Tamara found Ms. Winona Chaisty leading oh so seductively against the wall across the door to the transfiguration room as they were leaving.

"Hello beautiful." Winnie purred, greeting her best friend with a big hug. "I missed you."

It was an embrace Kathy gladly returned, moving back only to smile at the blonde bombshell. She was looking fabulous as usual in a purple leather jacket over a lacey white dress and ballet flats. Her green eyes, artfully smudged with black eyeliner, were dancing- probably eager to impart something deliciously scandalous.

"How did you know where she was?" Tamara asked, startled. It unnerved her that Kathy found nothing uncanny about her friend's unexpected (well, for her) appearance; it unnerved _them_ how she suddenly found her voice.

To answer her question the other two just raised their right arms to show how delicate silver chains graced their wrists. At once Tamara noticed a large obsidian gem dangling from each bracelet.

"Kathy charmed them to show where any of the three of us are." Winona clarified dutifully.

"Three?" Tamara asked curiously.

"Aiden has something manlier- an obsidian ring." Kathy told her swiftly, preferring not to elaborate further on something she found rather personal about her group. "Winnie, where are the girls?"

"Don't be rude, Kathy…" Winona's nose wrinkled, but whether from the mention of the hated nickname or the aforementioned 'rudeness' Kathy did not know. "…introduce me."

"Oh, this is Tamara Zabini." Kathy supplied morosely. It was half past noon and she was ravenously hungry.

"_Ah_. Well, the other girls are already in the great hall. We're dying to tell you some exciting news." Winona claimed, and Kathy rolled her eyes at how unthinkingly her friend dismissed Tamara. Well, _who_ was being rude now?

"I suppose I can't keep them waiting." Kathy murmured, watching Tamara visibly shrunk away before discreetly disappear into another corridor.

"Of course not, and don't worry about Ms. Zabini; I'm sure she just wants to be left alone." Winnie stated matter-of-factly as she took Kathy's hand and dragged her in the direction of the Great Hall.

As they passed, large windows loomed, showing a clear view of the outside. So preoccupied by her thoughts on her animagus briefing, Kathy didn't notice anything strange about the outdoors.

"What's going on out there? I can't stand it any longer!" Winona moaned, walking to a tall window and attempting to see as much as she could out of it.

As the haze of distraction retracted Kathy began to see a crowd of people on the quiditch pitch. Abruptly she felt the hammering of her heart- it was in her nature to fear the worst.

"Where is Aiden?" She whispered, and watched as ivory lettering etched onto the obsidian charm of her bracelet. She saw the words just as Winona spoke them:

"_In the Quiditch Pitch_."

"Oh dear Merlin…" Kathy said, feeling all the dread clog her system.

Winona aimed a wan smile at her. "…my sentiments exactly… _Let's go_."

* * *

Several witches and wizards were hovering in the air in uniforms of red and gold. It was the Gryffindor quiditch team, and it was ten minutes ago that they were supposed to surrender their hold on the pitch to their Slytherin counterparts. But they could only watch as the team of green and silver suffered internal blows- those to the ego- rendering them incapable of claiming their playing field just yet.

Alexander Malfoy, the keeper of the hovering team, found himself watching on as his sister's closest male friend (Aiden Chaisty, right?) continued to argue heatedly with his captain.

Chaisty, for once, wasn't in uniform. This was certainly interesting development… did he get kicked out? Was he now demanding to be reunited with the rest of his team? Alex was dying to ask the only member who was absent- his sister. Her absence was a relief to him however, as the two furious males looked like they were ready to fight to the death.

"Where's your sister?" Archer Andrews, the famed seeker of Gryffindor and Alex's best friend, called from just behind him.

Alex knew of his infatuation for his younger sister long ago, and since then he had been advising the poor guy on how to charm her. The first thing he told Archer was that Katharina didn't like males who openly professed their love- there were too many of those already.

"Funny you should ask… I was just thinking that." Alex grinningly replied as Archer flew until they were side by side. "I think Chaisty, over there, warned her to stay away. Pity, though, as she wouldn't want to miss all the action."

"Hah! She would've sent a bludger in their general direction ages ago." Archer amended laughingly.

"Ah. There she is now."

The unmistakable red head of Katharina was indeed approaching. A few meters closer and they could tell that she was on her broom, flying towards the pitch in moderate speed to accommodate the needs of her passenger, Winona Chaisty, who looked like she was ready to start retching- not a big fan of flying, clearly. It seemed they wouldn't get to the field on time before the inevitable happened.

The Slytherin team had a strict no wand policy on the field- last time someone was turned into a lizard by accident- so it didn't come as a surprise to spectators to see the rivals come to blows.

Naturally, it was Loxley who aimed the first punch. Students pouring in to see what the commotion was about watched Aiden dodged it easily, being the lighter of the two. His agility was, perhaps, the only advantage he had over his taller, stockier adversary and he didn't waste it; he let loose an array of punches, landing a few on Loxley's jaw. Rod may have gotten a few hits at Aiden's chest, but he was kept back by the continuous storm of strikes.

The great hulk staggered back until he had enough room to catch his breath. "So that's how you want to play it, eh, pretty boy? Well let's see how good looking you'll be with a black eye!"

Just as he was about to deliver that unstoppable, black-eye-inducing blow, a bludger shot into the air and crashed heavily into his wrist. A terrible breaking noise was heard, subsequent by only a split second to an exclamation of agonizing pain.

Aiden looked around to see Kathy a good thirty meters away with her beater's bat in hand, her hair fluttering about her shoulders with the wind, and a steely stare aimed in his general direction; it was an unintentional show of excellent beating skills and the audience was floored. It was one of the many times he was glad to have her on his side.

"I told you so." Archer declared a couple of meters above the bloody scene.

Alex just shook his head in bemusement. "This is why she gets into trouble a hundred times more than I do."

* * *

"This is why she has a lot more _fun_ than you do." Archer corrected, waggling his sandy-brown eyebrows at his friend. It was the undisputed truth.

Myriad shades of crimson and terracotta warmed the wallpaper. The carpet was of the same colors, accommodating the dark wood furniture around the large room. In the center of it all were the embers in the grand fireplace which seemed to be dancing to a hypnotic beat, enticing the emerald green eyes of Lily Potter with their glare.

Those startling eyes of hers were the only things that kept her from being the carbon copy of her mother. That is, to say everything about her- from the fervor with which she read the heavy books she carried around, to the way her mousy brown hair is stubbornly unruly- is unmistakably Hermione Granger, now Hermione Potter or Headmistress Potter.

On this particular day, Lily found herself studying all by her lonesome self. She had chosen to sit on the rug, leaning up against the couch across the fire with an open book on her lap left idle. It seemed that her musings occupied her more than any book could at that moment; rare one if I may say so.

_Where was everybody? _Normally, this room was packed with loud Gryffindor kids so much that she couldn't hear the sound of her own thoughts (which is quite a disturbance, really) but she found that she craved it in times like this.

It was then that she sensed eyes on her; she turned her attention to the numerous portraits on the wall. Great witches and wizards of the past gazed down at her piteously. She set her jaw and fervently wished that someone or even some_thing_ else could become a source of their entertainment for tonight.

And, just like magic, her wish was granted.

The new fat lady's portrait swung open to receive two laughing figures.

"She looked like she was going to have a fit!" said Archer Andrews. Lily's heart quickened and her breath came quickly. Needless to say, she _fancied_ him and everyone knew it… except poor, ignorant Archer.

"It's her first time, mate." Alexander Malfoy supplied, concern lacing his words. "And detention with Professor Sky _is_ harsh, if you will remember."

"Yes, but that was your fault, my friend. I-"

"Why, hello there, Lily." Alex interrupted, not wanting a recounting of that unfortunate event and noticing how the girl kept sending lovesick stares in his best friend's direction. Five quick strides and he was sitting on the same couch she was leaning on.

"What's going on? Who got detention?" Lily inquired curiously, but she already knew the answer. Only one person could possibly interest the great Archer Andrews.

"Kathy."

Lily nodded; Archer was getting so predictable. Kathy, on the other hand, was spitfire; frustrating and intermittent. She was Lily's exact opposite, probably the reason everyone was out and about, _not_ minding their own business. "What did she do now?"

"She drove a bludger into Loxley's wrist, shattering it into a million pieces." Archer answered in awe, sitting right next to Lily on the floor and causing her cheeks to flush at his proximity. She squirmed under his deep blue gaze.

"And why, may I ask, did he deserve such treatment from a subordinate?" Lily whispered, allowing herself stealthy glimpses of his perfect features. He was like a sun god with all his golden hair falling in waves that framed his face in a way that emphasized the masculinity of the tanned contours of his face.

For the love of comparison, it can be said that Alex had even lighter hair (if that was possible) and he was just as attractive in a different way. With his shrewd gray eyes, the Malfoy was all aristocracy and elegance where Andrews was all careless charm and mischievousness. Still, they could easily be mistaken for brothers-making up for the fact that neither had any of those- even earning the title 'Golden Boys'.

"He kicked Chaisty out of the team for personal reasons. Then, for some unimaginable reason, the banished bloke showed up for practice and they had a row which turned violent. _Kathy_ felt that she needed to intervene." Alex said, sighing.

He had defended his sister loyally but kept covertly to himself that she had acted rashly. Ironically, now the dutiful older brother was taking the emotional stress of it badly. Kathy could cause quite a scene when provoked and he (no one else had been courageous enough for the task) stepped in before she could aim another bludger at Professor Sky.

"And it cost the poor captain his wrist." Archer added, with a 'tsk, tsk'. Then his tone became silky. "Kathy's so sexy when she's mad."

Alex aimed a glare at him then an emphatic glance at Lily who suddenly found her shoes very interesting. "You want a bludger to the wrist too, eh?" she murmured in a daze.

"Pardon?" Archer said, bringing his face inches closer to hers, not knowing the effect it had on her.

"_Nothing_. I have to go." She gathered all her things in a panic before running off to her room.

"What did I do?" Archer asked his friend in stupefaction.

"You were being thick, that's what." Gray eyes rolled.

"_About_ _what_?"

"Girls."

"Is it _that_ time of the month?" Archer asked, completely clueless as far as boys go.

Alex, who was of a special breed of boy, groaned. "Never you mind. If she can't get over it then Merlin help her."

"Help who? Lily? _Why_? Alex, what in Merlin's name are you talking about?" But his friend had already stalked off to bed.


End file.
